Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

From the day the Mets signed Eduardo Escobar just before the lockout began, people around the game touted Escobar as a great teammate and clubhouse leader. Max Scherzer even cited Escobar as one of the many reasons he wants to come to New York.

Escobar quickly endeared himself to teammates with a trip to Fogo De Cho on his dime during spring training, and he allegedly masterminding the heartwarming gesture to custom order t-shirts brandishing the name of reserve outfielder Travis Jankowski after Jankowski described himself as the type of player whose jersey would not be popular among fans.

Given the plethora of feel-good stories the Mets’ third-basemen has generated already in his short time in Flushing, you would be forgiven for missing one very large part of the Escobar equation: he is a pretty darn good player.

In fact, despite struggling somewhat to start his Mets career, a look at the stats on the back of Escobar’s baseball card show that he has been a pretty consistent power threat since 2017, which was the first season that he really first established himself as an everyday contributor. Indeed, in his last two full seasons, with Arizona in 2019, and Arizona and Milwaukee in 2021, Escobar totaled 35 and 28 home runs and 118 and 90 RBI, respectively.

Even amid a frustrating offensive start to his Mets’ tenure, Escobar has seemingly had a knack for driving in big runs, and that trend continued on Monday night in San Diego.

In the first inning with the bases loaded and two outs, and talented Padres’ starter Blake Snell laboring but sniffing a potential path out of a long first inning, it was Escobar who poked a line-drive single to right field, scoring two runs in a game the Mets would never trail. Escobar, who was batting right-handed against the southpaw Snell, has fared much better as a right-handed hitter than a left-handed hitter this season. Escobar was just getting started.

The #Mets forced Padres’ starter Blake Snell to throw 43 pitches in the first inning.

A huge walk by J.D. Davis and the below Eduardo Escobar single punctuated New York’s terrific start to the game.

3-0 #Mets, bottom 1.pic.twitter.com/hMs0x4eTOD

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) June 7, 2022

In Escobar’s next at-bat, this one also right-handed, he drilled a double to the left-center field gap, and came around to score on a Brandon Nimmo single. In his first left-handed at bat of the night, Escobar attacked a first pitch fastball, but skied it to second base for an easy out. The frustration on the face of the normally jubilant Escobar was apparent – he has not been able to get on track from that side of the plate.

That made what happened in his next at-bat that much more special. In the eighth inning, Escobar drilled a long two-run home run to right filed of right pitcher Craig Stammen. The home run ball traveled 405 feet after Escobar struck it with a 106.8 exit velocity and 36 degree launch angle. Escobar stayed in the batter’s box a bit and admired his beautiful drive. It was obvious that Escobar felt a swing like that was a long time coming.

After the Padres inched closer, Escobar put their thoughts of a comeback to rest, lining a two-run triple down the right field line off of left handed reliever Tim Hill for his fifth and six runs batted in of the night. In the process, Escobar became the first Met to hit for the cycle since Scott Hairston did it at Coors Field in 2012, and the eleventh player in franchise history to do it. He kept the ball from his triple.

In all, Escobar finished the game with four hits in five at bats. Escobar drove in six runs and scored three in a night where the Mets scored 11 runs as a team. If that sounds like an extraordinarily good night at the plate, it is because it is. Escobar’s stat line from Monday night has only been matched 20 other times in Major League history, as Jacob Resnick points out. Perhaps most importantly for the Mets’ near-term outlook, Escobar got it done from both sides of the plate. He now has a 1.092 OPS and 10 RBIs over his last seven days.

The Mets surely hope this is a sign of things to come for their popular third-baseman.

The post Eduardo Escobar Heating Up With Cycle in San Diego appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Eduardo Escobar hit for the cycle and drove in six runs as the Mets ran away with their series opener with the Padres, 11-5. Escobar is the first Met to accomplish the feat since Scott Hairston did so back on April 27, 2012, against the Rockies. This cycle is also the first one to occur at Petco Park.

Every player in the Mets’ lineup recorded a hit, and Carlos Carrasco went seven innings and allowed just two runs and five hits, striking out 10 and not issuing a walk. Taijuan Walker (3-1, 2.88 ERA) will take the hill for the Mets against Yu Darvish (4-3 4:03 ERA) in the second game of the series tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 eastern time.

Latest Mets News

Tylor Megill is headed to the West Coast to join the Mets after his assessment in New York yesterday. Megill is slated to throw a bullpen session this week, and if all goes well, he could start for the team on Friday against the Angels.

Max Scherzer and his wife Erica say they will sponsor the adoption fees for all dogs 30 pounds and over adopted from St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey from now until June 12.

Latest MLB News

The Diamondbacks signed former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor-league contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The southpaw struggled badly to a 7.88 ERA and 2.156 WHIP in 32 innings, leading the White Sox to release him in the last year of his three-year, $55.5 million contract. This move however reunites Keuchel with his old pitching coach, Brent Strom.

The Cubs outrighted former Met Robert Gsellman off their 40-man roster after he was designated for assignment last week. Gsellman has thrown 15.1 innings and registered a 4.70 ERA/4.25 FIP and a 1.304 WHIP.

Former All-Star closer Trevor Rosenthal will hold a showcase for teams today at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, FL. Rosenthal signed a one-year contract with the A’s in 2021 but missed the entire season after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery. Rosenthal set a Cardinals franchise record with 48 saves in 2015, and overall pitched to a 2.99 ERA/2.60 FIP with 121 saves in six seasons in St. Louis. After a disastrous 2019, Rosenthal returned to form in the shortened 2020 season, racking up 11 saves with a 1.90 ERA/2.22 FIP and 38 strikeouts in 23.2 innings (14.5 K/9).

The Angels revealed their City Connect jerseys, which are inspired by Southern California’s love of surfing. They will debut the jerseys against the Mets this Saturday.

Latest on MMO

Mathew Brownstein examines Pete Alonso‘s rise up the Mets’ all-time offensive leaderboards.

Alex Horowitz writes about the great week that Alonso and Trevor Williams had, as they were named MMO’s Players of the Week.

Christian De Block writes why the Mets and Dodgers showed over the weekend that they are the two best teams in the National League.

John Sheridan brings us his latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down from the series in Los Angeles.

On This Date in Mets History

1966: The Mets select catcher Steve Chilcott with the first pick in the June free-agent draft. Chilcott eventually becomes the first number-one pick to never make the majors. Meanwhile, the A’s select Arizona State outfielder Reggie Jackson with the next pick.

2010: With the seventh pick in the First-Year Player Draft, the Mets select right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Birthdays: Roberto Petagine (51), Esix Sneed (46).

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Eduardo Escobar Hits For 11th Cycle in Mets History appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jun 6, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) gestures after hitting a two-RBI triple during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Escobar hit for the cycle. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

It was a dramatic night for the New York Mets (38-19), who captured victory against the San Diego Padres (33-22) by a score of 11-5 on Monday. Eduardo Escobar hit for the 11th cycle in Mets history, Carlos Carrasco spun a gem, and the bullpen did enough to secure the win.

The Mets made life difficult for Padres starter Blake Snell right from the jump. With a runner on second and two outs, Mets batters proceeded to draw three consecutive walks, punctuated by a bases-loaded walk from J.D. Davis to drive in the first run of the game. Escobar drove in two more runs with a single, pushing the lead to 3-0. The Mets forced Snell to throw 43 pitches in the first inning alone.

It took until the third inning for the Padres to get on the board against Carrasco. Jurickson Profar lined an RBI single to left field to cut the Mets lead to 3-1, but he was thrown out trying to get back to first base on a heads-up play from Tomás Nido to shut down the potential rally.

Things did not get easier for Snell, who gave up another run on an RBI single from Brandon Nimmo in the fourth inning. The Mets were up 4-1 at that point, and they scored all four of their runs with two outs.

The Mets chased Snell out of the game in the fifth inning, getting the first two batters of the frame on base. Davis cashed in with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1, collecting his second RBI of the game. Davis was making his first start as a first baseman since the 2018 season, and he had a productive day at the plate to justify the decision to work his bat into the lineup.

Carrasco settled down after that lone run in the third inning, but he ran into a bit of trouble in the seventh. He gave up a two-out RBI double to Nomar Mazara to shave a run off the Mets lead, but he struck out Jorge Alfaro to keep it a 5-2 ballgame. Carrasco went seven strong innings, allowing five hits while recording a season-high ten strikeouts. Perhaps more impressively, he reached a triple-digit pitch count for the first time as a Met, and he rebounded from a five-walk outing last time out by not walking a single batter.

Well that elevated quickly! @escobardelapica pic.twitter.com/TTjBHkfgk6

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 7, 2022

Escobar provided insurance in the eighth inning, crushing a two-run homer to extend the Mets’ lead to 7-2. It gave him four RBI on the night, and he has hit two home runs in his past three games.

The Padres’ offense couldn’t get anything going against Carrasco, but they came to life against the Mets’ bullpen. Joely Rodriguez allowed two of the three batters he faced to reach base, and Drew Smith served up a three-run homer to Luke Voit to make it a 7-5 game and give the Padres a fighting chance at a comeback.

.@escobardelapica has hit for the cycle! 👑 pic.twitter.com/KPS5CtbQZF

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 7, 2022

That fighting chance quickly evaporated, as the Mets got plenty of insurance in the ninth inning. Escobar legged out a two-run triple to complete the cycle, the first Mets player to accomplish the feat since Scott Hairston in 2012 and the 11th player to do so in franchise history. It was also the first cycle to be accomplished at Petco Park, which opened back in 2004.

Run-scoring hits from Jeff McNeil and Nido extended the lead to 11-5, and the Mets stuck with Drew Smith to close out the game. The Mets have now won three straight, and they improve to 3-2 on this West Coast road trip.

Player of the Game: Eduardo Escobar

Escobar has hit a new gear during this past week, and he accomplished history on Monday night by hitting for the cycle. He drove in six runs and scored three more in what was undoubtedly his best game as a Met and the best game of his career. He is hitting .471 on the road trip with two home runs and eight RBI.

Final line for Escobar: 4-for-5, 1 HR (5), 1 3B, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 3 R

On Deck:

The Mets continue their series against the Padres on Tuesday night at Petco Park. First pitch is set for 9:40pm ET, and the game will be broadcast on SNY. The Mets will have Taijuan Walker on the mound, while the Padres will run out Yu Darvish.

The post Eduardo Escobar’s Cycle Leads Mets’ 11-5 Victory Over Padres appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The 2012 New York Mets started out well, but the season ended basically as expected for a rebuilding team. The Mets finished 74-88 in 2012. There were some individual highlights, such as the pitching of R.A. Dickey, who won the National League’s Cy Young award that year with a 20-6 record. On April 27, 2012, Scott Hairston achieved a rare feat, hitting for the cycle.

The Mets were in Colorado, opening a three-game series on a Friday night. They put this lineup on the field:

Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF

Ruben Tejada SS

Daniel Murphy 2B

David Wright 3B

Scott Hairston LF

Lucas Duda RF

Zach Lutz 1B

Mike Nickeas C

Chris Schwinden P

The Mets scored one run in the top of the first inning, ironically with Hairston at bat when Wright was caught in a rundown play after being picked off of first base, which allowed Nieuwenhuis to score from third base. Hairston resumed his at-bat in the top of the second inning, and singled off of Rockies’ pitcher Drew Pomeranz.

In the top of the fourth inning, Hairston got the four-bagger, slugging a home run to left field. There were two more hits to get, a double and triple. The Native of Fort Worth, Texas tripled in the top of the fifth inning off Esmil Rogers, achieving what many consider to be the hardest component of the cycle. Now, Hairston needed a double. In his next at-bat in the top of the sixth inning, he rounded out his cycle by doubling off Josh Roenicke.

With that double, Hairston became the tenth (and to this point, last) Met to hit for the cycle, and the first since Eric Valent in 2004. Other Mets to have a hit of all four types in a single game include  Jim Hickman (1963), Tommie Agee (1970), Mike Phillips (1976), Keith Hernandez (1985), Kevin McReynolds (1989), Alex Ochoa (1996), John Olerud (1997), Valent (2004), and Jose Reyes (2006).

Looking back at the game in Colorado ten years ago, the Mets lost by the score of 18-9. The Rockies had an 11-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth inning, highlighted by home runs by Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler. Manny Acosta absorbed most of the damage on the mound for the Mets, in relief of Schwinden.

Hairston played 11 seasons in the major leagues (two with the Mets), posting a career slash line of .242/.296/.442. He hit 106 home runs and drove in 313 runs, accumulating a 6.5 bWAR. He had one very special night as a Met, becoming one of 334 hitters in baseball history to hit for the cycle. How rare is that? By comparison, there have been 314 no-hitters in baseball history.

The post OTD 2012: Scott Hairston Hits For The Cycle appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On July 29, 2004 Eric Valent of the New York Mets hit for the cycle in a game against the Montreal Expos, becoming the eighth player in franchise history to achieve the feat. To date, ten Mets have hit for the cycle.

Valent, along with Jim Hickman (1963), Tommie Agee (1970), Mike Phillips (1976), Keith Hernandez (1985), Kevin McReynolds (1989), Alex Ochoa (1996), John Olerud (1997), Jose Reyes (2006), and Scott Hairston (2012) are Mets to single, double, triple, and hit a home run in the same game.

Valent, who played left field in the game, had a great day (it was an afternoon game), with four hits, a walk, and three RBIs. However, the La Mirada, CA native had a very modest career. He played a total of five major league season, two with the Mets, two with the Phillies, and one with the Reds. He posted a career WAR of -0.9 over 406 career at-bats.

Valent’s day began with a single in the second inning off Montreal’s Rocky Biddle. He doubled in the third inning off Biddle, then hit a home run in the fifth inning off Sun-Woo Kim. He rounded out his cycle with a triple off Roy Corcoran in the seventh inning. You can see all of Valent’s hits in the video below.

A case can be made that he was a bit fortunate on the single and double, and the triple should have been a double. But he absolutely crushed the home run.

During is five-year career, Valent posted a slash line of .234/.307/.389 with 13 home runs. His best season by bWAR was 2004 (0.2 bWAR) when he slashed .267/.337/.481 over 270 at-bats.

The frequency of cycles compared to no-hitters is quite similar. There have been 332 cycles in MLB history, and 312 no-hitters. There has been just one cycle in postseason history, and that came in 2018 by Brock Holt of the Red Sox against the Yankees. No Marlin has ever hit for the cycle, and the Padres did not get their first one until 2015 (they became a franchise in 1969), that was done by Matt Kemp. In an article by Ed Eagle of MLB, Kemp said this after his cycle. “It’s hard to believe. All those great hitters that have been here, like Tony Gwynn and all those guys, haven’t been able to get a hit for a cycle. I’m just glad to be able to do it.”

There has been once cycle in 2021. Jake Cronenworth of the Padres put his name in the books on July 16 against the Washington Nationals. The frequency of cycles to no hitters has much different in 2021, as there have been seven no-hitters this season (one was a combined effort). The Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Seattle Mariners have each been no-hit twice this year.

Valent, now 44 years old, played his last season in 2005 while with the Mets, appearing in just 28 games. Most players with a career bWAR of -0.9 don’t have a particular place in a team’s history. Eric Valent, however, does have a spot in Mets’ lore for his day north of the border on July 29, 2004.

The post OTD 2004: Eric Valent Hits For The Cycle In Montreal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (15-8) lost to the St. Louis Cardinals (15-9) by a score of 4-3 in 13 innings on Thursday afternoon. Noah Syndergaard went a season-high 7 1/3 innings and held the Cardinals to two runs (one earned), but Robert Gsellman, Jeurys Familia, and Paul Sewald all ran into trouble which helped lead to the Mets’ defeat.

Latest Mets News

Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.53) will look to get the Mets started on the right foot against Clayton Richard (1-2, 5.67 ERA) and the San Diego Padres tonight at Petco Park. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 pm EDT and the game will be broadcasted on SNY and WOR.

Todd Frazier‘s first cousin unexpectedly passed away as Steve Gelbs mentioned during the Mets’ SNY broadcast on Thursday. Our thoughts and prayers here at MMO are with him and his family during this difficult time.

Jason Vargas will be making his 2018 debut for the Mets tomorrow against the San Diego Padres.

Latest MLB News

Boston has approved of a plan that will change the name of Yawkey Way outside Fenway Park according to the Associated Press.

The Cleveland Indians announced that they have put Andrew Miller on the 10-day disabled list and selected the contract of Jeff Beliveau from Triple-A Columbus.

Jung Ho Kang has received a work visa and will be re-joining the Pittsburgh Pirates soon per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic.

Latest NL East News

Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal wrote about Ryan Zimmerman and the reason why he skipped spring training.

Miami Marlins right-hander Trevor Richards struck out 10 and outdueled Clayton Kershaw on Wednesday. It was the former substitute teacher and brewery employee’s best MLB start of his rookie season thus far.

Atlanta Braves prospect Ronald Acuna made his much-anticipated big league debut on Wednesday. The debut helped boost TV ratings for the Braves by 33 percent in comparison to the average of all their previous 2018 games according to Tim Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN wrote a piece about the Philadelphia Phillies starting to figure out how good they are. The Phillies are 15-9 on the season and a half game behind the Mets for first place after a 1-4 start.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Joe D. analyzed Corey Oswalt‘s MLB debut on Wednesday and wrote about how it saved the Mets bullpen.

Michael Mayer took a closer look at Syndergaard’s dominant start yesterday.

John Sheridan wrote about David Peterson and Anthony Kay who could be fast risers within the Mets’ farm system.

Mojo Hill provided recaps for the four Mets minor league affiliates that played on Wednesday.

This Day in Mets History

2004: Mike Piazza hit his 362nd career home run and his 351st as a catcher. That homer tied him with Carlton Fisk for most career home runs by a catcher and it moved him past Joe DiMaggio on the all-time home run list.

2010: David Wright collected his 1,000th career hit in a Mets uniform with a fifth-inning RBI single against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wright became the eighth Met and quickest Met in franchise history to reach that milestone.

2012: Scott Hairston hit for the cycle in the Mets’ 18-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Hairston became the tenth Met in franchise history and the latest to do so.

Birthdays: Orber Moreno turns 41, Frank Catalanotto turns 44, Eric Hillman turns 52, Bob MacDonald turns 53 and Brian Giles turns 58.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Head West To Play Padres appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Fangraphs ZiPS projection is a good indicator for that. The entire projected opening day pitching staff (i.e. rotation of Niese – Colon – Wheeler – Gee – Mejia) projects to combine for a mere total of an 8 fWAR. Which is by far the worst projected pitching staff in the divisision, well behind the Marlins & Phillies (both 13 fWAR), Braves (20 fWAR) and Nationals (21 fWAR).

Meanwhile, the Mets´ projected offense is a lot closer towards contender status at a combined 19 fWAR, well ahead of the Marlins (12 fWAR) and Phillies (15 fWAR) and barely behind the Braves (20 fWAR) and Nationals (23 fWAR).

And if you look back into the rear view mirror (something all projection systems heavily rely on), the Mets offense averaged 634.5 runs between 2012 & 2013 – with very similar rosters except for Marlon Byrd replacing Scott Hairston and the C position being in flux and CF traditionally unsettled. The Phillies averaged 647 runs (in a hitter friendlier park), the Marlins averaged a terrible 561 runs, the Nationals 693.5 and the Braves 694. So, the Mets were 60 runs away from leading the division in runs scored. Since 1 win takes 10 runs scored or not allowed, the Mets were about 6 wins away on offense from contending for the division crown.

Meanwhile, the pitching was a lot further away at an average of 696.5 runs allowed.

The Nats – on average – allowed 610 runs while the Braves merely allowed 574 runs. So, the Mets were between 86.5 and 122.5 – thus on average 104.5 runs or 10+ wins – off the league lead. Even the Marlins (685 runs allowed) were better and the Phillies – in a much tougher homepark – allowed only 714.5 runs on average – 28 more than the Mets staff´s averaged.

Scott Hairston (2012) & Marlon Byrd (2013) now get replaced by Curtis Granderson while Travis d’Arnaud takes over at catcher for Josh Thole (2012) and John Buck (2013). CF remains unsettled but now features Juan Lagares & Chris Young as the main options instead of the revolving door of 2013 and Kirk Nieuwenhuis & Andres Torres in 2012. The rest of the roster essentially returns, though it appears only one of Duda & Ike Davis will play regularly. All in all, if d´Arnaud is better than Buck & Thole were, while the CF also produce more, expecting the 2014 Mets to score at least 650 runs seems reasonable and thus a gain of 1 or 2 wins as it is, not expecting any breakouts from Ike or Tejada or regression from Wright and Murphy.

But it all comes down to the pitching. If the Mets staff gives up 695 or more runs again – and thus on average 100 more than the Nats & Braves figure to give up – they won´t make up the difference. If the Mets give up 50 runs less by pitching better, that´s good for 5 wins and a .500 season overall (650 RS vs. 645 RA). If the Mets give up 100 runs less by pitching much better – both in the rotation and bullpen – they would make up another 5+ games and would project to end up right around 86 or 87 wins. And if you happen to like the depth that the Mets will finally have on both their pitching staff (Montero, Syndergaard, young relievers, etc) and offensively (mainly Flores but also some fringy outfielders like Nieuwenhuis & MDD), the upside may even be a little higher compared to the 2012 and 2013 teams that both lacked quality depth behind the regulars.

To summarize, the Mets figure to have a middle of the pack offense in 2014 and going forward. Which isn´t too bad, considering that Citi Field plays about neutral to slightly pitcher friendly. If the pitching remains below average like it has been in 2012 and 2013, the Mets won´t crack .500 and certainly won´t contend. If the young arms perform and the veterans remain solid, this is the big area of upside – both rotation & bullpen – where the Mets could improve significantly.

The post Mets Pitching Is The Key To Beating Preseason Projections appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Why not take a shot?

I’m not talking about making Sizemore the main signing this off-season, I’m talking about taking a shot on a player that could be had relatively cheap, and potentially be this year’s version of Marlon Byrd.

The Mets seem comfortable going with Juan Lagares in center field in 2014, which is good, because the Mets could slot Sizemore in left field, and not put the added strain of playing center on his knees. 

I’m not convinced Eric Young Jr. should be handed the starting left field job and be the leadoff hitter in 2014, so why not bring in Sizemore and have him compete for a corner outfield spot—especially after seeing EYJR’s salary is going to triple this season.

The Mets probably won’t be in a position to bring in two big bats for the outfield, and unless they flip a couple of players to gain a second big bat, Sizemore could be a nice, low-risk, high-reward signing this winter. 

Original Post – 10/16/12

This is not breaking news – the Mets are in need of a lead off hitter and outfielders as we move towards the 2013 season. Some people may be ready to close the door on Grady Sizemore‘s career, but there is still value there. We are still talking about a player that was on his way to super stardom before some injuries side tracked his career.

After missing the entire 2012 season, Sizemore should be fully healed, rested, and ready to finish what he started a few seasons ago. There isn’t a team in a better position to take a risk on Sizemore than the New York Mets.

Many people will scoff at my last statement and argue that the reward isn’t worth the risk in Sizemore’s case. They will argue he’s too injury prone. Seriously…who cares at this point? Beggars can’t be choosers. With the outlook of the Mets outfield in 2013, adding Sizemore would bring Mets fans a glimmer of hope, and add another player with superstar potential to help David Wright out (pending him re-upping with the team).

The bottom line is the Mets are going to have to take some risks if they want to be able to get competitive again, and fast. The Mets are a Moneyball team now, right? Well, if my memory serves me correctly, one of the main story lines in Moneyball was that they went after a player in Scott Hatteberg, who other teams were avoiding due to injury risk, because they saw value there. Even Billy Beane, lord Moneyball himself, understood that there has to be some sort of risk involved if you are ever going to achieve greatness.

Signing Sizemore on the cheap screams Moneyball.

It’s time for the Mets to start taking a some calculated risks. Sizemore may be a risk, but oh the reward the Mets would receive for taking that risk if Sizemore is even 2/3 the player he was in 2008. Cleveland seems ready to finally part ways with Sizemore who is a free-agent this off-season. MLBTradeRumors.com reported in August that two scouts said that Sizemore is worth signing if there isn’t much guaranteed money at stake. Hopefully one of those scouts was from the New York Mets.

The post MMO Flashback: Grady Sizemore Is Still Out There – A Risk The Mets Should Take? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

With the Tragic Number at 2, the “Playoff Push” is in serious jeopardy… The Mets (64-79) lost to the Nationals (75-69) Tuesday night by a score of 6-3.

Dillon Gee got the start for New York and quickly put himself in a hole, giving up a run in each of the first three innings, including a pair of home runs. The Mets started slowly against Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann, but got a run in the 4th on an RBI single from the red-hot Justin Turner.

After Gee gave up another run in the 6th, the Mets made it a ballgame when Matt den Dekker drove in a pair of runs with a liner over the shortstop’s head, cutting Washington’s deficit to 4-3. However, the Mets were unable to get the one final run they needed to tie it up, as Wilson Ramos nailed the potential tying run twice at second base (catching MdD stealing in the 6th and nabbing Eric Young in the 7th). Scott Hairston put his former team to bed with a home run off of Byrdak, and the Mets were on their way to yet another loss.

Let’s start with the negatives. Dillon Gee had a rare weak start, finding himself unable to settle into a groove. Gee ended up with 6.1 innings of 4-run ball with five strikeouts, nine hits allowed, and no walks.

Can somebody tell the Nationals that they are not playing in Yankee Stadium? They have been treating Citi Field like a bandbox these past 2 days, while the Mets have been unable to find the power stroke.

Did I mention that Justin Turner was red-hot? Well, he’s also probably out for the season, after leaving the game with a leg injury. It looked like a hammy or something similar… and with that usually meaning 2-4 weeks on the DL, why rush him back?

Terry Collins knows he has an expiring contract, right? Collins made a baffling move, putting in Lefty Specialist Tim Byrdak in to face Lefty Killer Scott Hairston. The result? A game-sealing 2-run shot to left.

But on the bright side, the youth movement was in effect tonight. Vic Black looked solid in his Citi Field debut, tossing a scoreless innings. Travis d’Arnaud broke a hitless spell with his 3rd career multi-hit game, and threw a bullet down to 2nd base to wipe Ian Desmond off the basepaths.

Matt den Dekker drove in 2 runs with a single in the 6th and swiped a bag (although he was also caught stealing in this game).

Did the Mets lose? Yes. Have we been losing night after night with no end in sight? Yes. It is frustrating… for me, for you, for the players, and for the ownership. But night after night, we see something that shows that some of the pieces for a successful future are in place… it is now up to the front office to build upon these blocks.

The Mets will face off against the Nationals again tomorrow, with Zack Wheeler (7-4, 3.38 ERA) facing off against Dan Haren (8-13, 5.23 ERA) at 7:10 PM.

The post Mets Victimized By Long Ball Again In 6-3 Loss To Nationals appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The great thing about baseball is how it shifts your opinions on players from Point A to Point B and then back to Point A again. Always evolving, always transforming and always wonderfully unpredictable. It’s sort of like real life that way.

I remember all the jokes, all the griping and all the complaining when Omar Minaya first signed journeyman pitcher R.A. Dickey and yet six months later he was one of our favorite players (no doubt he used his Jedi mind tricks on us). Same thing occurred with other players like Scott Hairston and more recently Marlon Byrd. That’s why I always find it so silly when people fight so vehemently with each other about these signings. I mean, go ahead and complain about the signings, but why actually fight about it knowing how unpredictable baseball can be?

I bet if you asked 100 Mets fans in July if the Mets should go with Lucas Duda at first base in 2014, about 90 of them would have jumped up and screamed, “No freaking way!”

I bet if you asked those same people today, it would be more like 50/50.

Suddenly, after only a week’s worth of games at first base to replace the injured Ike Davis, the lumbering former left fielder is starting to change some minds about him.

Hey, even Sandy Alderson called him out in an interview on WFAN back in June, and then three days ago he was back on WFAN singing his praises…

In Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Braves, Duda went 3-for-5 with a home run and fell a triple short of the cycle. He is now hitting .371 (13-for-35) with one homer and four RBIs in 11 games as a first baseman this season.

As a matter of fact, if you took Duda’s .817 OPS this season and put it up against all first base qualifiers in the National League, he would rank sixth in between Allen Craig and Adrian Gonzalez.

Duda credits the switch to first base for his transformation at the plate of late. “I’m much more comfortable at first,” Duda said. “That takes the pressure off.”

I’ve never actually been on the Lucas Duda bandwagon per se, but I certainly find myself wondering more and more about the possibility of bringing him back as our first baseman next season. And that’s coming from one who has been advocating we trade Duda for most of this year.

Again, baseball is so beautiful that way…

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